Perfect World
by Weather Angel
Summary: Set in the Marauders’ Era, winter is not always a time of fun. Tragedy, love, betrayal, and humor, step into the world of their winter wonderland. JPxLE, SBxOC.


**Perfect World**

A/N: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except for the dear Angelina and the mentioned Melanie; they're creations of my own mind.

**Unexpected**

It was a winter afternoon, and the sun was filtering softly through the windows near the back of the classroom. Muffled snoring and the occasional scratch of a quill on parchment were heard as someone broke out of their stupor to write down a few notes or dates. The only sound other than this was that of the continuous droning of the ghost, Professor Binns. History of Magic had to be the most boring class taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The seventh year Gryffindors couldn't wait to get out; it was their last class before their Christmas Holidays, and the freshly fallen snow looked inviting for building Snow Wizards and throwing snowball fights.

One of the boys sitting near the back of the classroom was lounging comfortably in his desk, his hands behind his head. His black hair felt carelessly into his grey eyes, which were gleaming mischievously. This seventh year, Sirius Black, was one of the famous Marauders, which went by the nickname of Padfoot. He glanced at the boy next to him, who had untidy black hair, and flashed him a broad grin. The second boy looked over his shoulder, winking at a girl behind him that had shoulder length red hair, the lovely Lily Evans, who only rolled her eyes at him. "James Potter, you need to learn that nothing could ever happen between us," she muttered, glaring at him.

"Bad luck, Prongs," muttered Sirius, running a hand through his hair, as he looked over his shoulder at her as well. James pushed his shoulder. "Shut up, Padfoot. Not like you could ever get a steady girlfriend."

Lily rolled her eyes, gazing back at a girl with blond hair, who was sitting next to her. Seeing her dazed expression, Lily waved a hand in front of her face. "Angel? Angel?" She asked, watching her friend. "You're daydreaming _again_; you do realize that, don't you?"

The seventeen-year-old Angelina Weatherest sighed, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as her blue-grey eyes glazed over. She was looking ahead of her, as Lily broke her out of her reverie. She turned and looked at the Head Girl, shaking her head slowly. "Sorry, Lils," she muttered, smiling slightly.

Lily smirked, her green eyes shining. "Honestly, I don't see what you see in him. He's just an annoying prat, Ang, like the rest of his friends," she muttered, glancing at Sirius and James, who were now talking with two other boys; Remus Lupin, who had brunette colored hair and dark eyes, and was usually quiet, and Peter Pettigrew, the other, who was a mousy haired boy, who was very easily excited. They were known as the Marauders. Everyone looked up to them and wanted to be just like them. Girls admired them, and the Slytherins loathed them for their practical jokes.

Suddenly the bell rang, and Angel leaped to her feet, swinging her bag over her shoulder as she watched the Marauders leave. She looked over at Lily, who was shaking her head slowly. "Come on, Ang. It's time for dinner. At least this was the last class," Lily muttered.

Angel nodded slowly, walking out of the room. She was a pureblooded witch, and had been sorted into Gryffindor for her loyalty and bravery. She had lived with her grandparents her whole life, since her mother had been killed by a Death Eater when Angel was only three. Last year she had lost her grandfather, and times were hard on her and her grandmother.

"Are you staying here for the holidays, Lils?" Angel asked as she turned to her friend while they slowly walked through the castle towards the Great Hall, following the rest of the Gryffindors.

Lily nodded slowly as they walked into the magnificent Great Hall, where the four long tables were set up. A table was set up for each House: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

The two girls made their way over to the far table, sitting near the Marauders. James and Sirius were sitting across from Remus and Peter, and Angel sat next to Remus, Lily on her other side. They used to ignore the Marauders and their pranks, but things had changed since the beginning of their seventh year. Lily had discovered her crush on James, even though he had followed her around since first year, and she had always yelled at him. Angel herself had discovered her love for the "heartthrob" out of the group, the one that all of the girls swooned and crushed on. She didn't like him for his looks like all of the others, but rather the troublemaking side of him. She was a bookworm herself, but was known to cause pranks on her own.

"So what are you boys doing for the winter holidays?" Angel asked, pulling a plate of potatoes towards her, piling some on her plate.

Sirius, who had just finished a bite of ham, looked over at her. "Well, I was going to stay with James at his house, but his parents are going on a vacation." Sirius had been staying with the Potters, having moved out of his own home, since his family was sided with the Dark Side, and Sirius himself didn't agree with them. James's parents happily took him in; he was like a second son.

"So we're staying here," James mumbled through a mouthful of potatoes. He finished chewing, pointing at Remus and Peter. "And so are they."

Remus turned to Angel and Lily, giving them a small smile. "What about you girls? What are you doing for the holidays?"

Lily glanced over at them, pushing her red hair out of her face. "I'm staying here. It's better than going back home. Petunia has a new boyfriend, and… he's _awful_." Lily came from a Muggle family, and her sister, Petunia, positively hated her. Petunia had found a nice Muggle boyfriend, Vernon Dursley, who sold drills.

Angel sighed, tucking a strand of wavy hair behind her ear. "I guess I'm the only one going home," she muttered. She would've loved to stay at Hogwarts as she had the last several years, but she figured it would be better if she went home to take care of her grandmother.

"That's too bad, Angel," Sirius muttered, eyeing her. Angel glanced up, looking over at him. His intense grey eyes seem to pierce into hers and she turned away, unable to keep the staring up.

Angel nodded slowly, and then jumped, watching as a large eagle owl flew in, and almost landed in the kidney pudding. She reached over, straightening the bird out, only to recognize him as her own owl. "Dimitri?" She asked, untying the letter from his leg. As she slowly read the letter, her face paled visible, tears appearing in her eyes.

The Marauders had stopped eating, eyeing her closely. Lily set her fork down, watching her friend, a concerned look on her face. "Angel? What's wrong?" she asked quietly, reaching a hand towards her.

"N—nothing, I—I'm fine," Angel muttered, rolling the letter back up. She then stood up, and walked quickly from the Great Hall, feeling the tears blurring her vision. As soon as she made it out of the Hall, she turned and ran out the large oak doors and onto the snowy grounds, a cold breeze whipping her hair into her face. She kept running across the untouched snow, not stopping until she made it to the lake where she fell to her knees, putting her face in her hands.

She couldn't be gone. She was the only family that Angel had left. Nevertheless, according to the letter, she really was gone. Just like her grandfather. "G—grams… why d—did you leave?" Angel choked out, tears falling down her cheeks quickly. She didn't even seem to notice the cold or anything else.

Staring after Angel, Lily sighed. "Maybe I should go talk to her… See what's wrong…"

James shook his head. "Give her some time, Lils. I'm sure whatever was bothering her will soon be over."

"Damnit, James, she was _crying_! It's clear, is it not? Something surely upset her a lot, and you're just going to leave her to take care of herself? Don't you remember how hard it was when her grandfather died? She almost lost it completely!" Lily half shouted, standing up.

"I know that, Lily! But you have to give the girl some room! We don't even know what happened, or--" James was cut off as Remus cleared his throat. He turned to him, arching an eyebrow. "What?"

"I don't think it matters anymore, James," he said calmly. Seeing the confused look on James and Lily's faces, he pointed across the table. Sirius was gone.

Lily blinked turning to look at James. "You don't think--"

"Did he--"

Lily shook her head, sitting down. "He might've." Inside, she was smiling. She hoped that he would be able to comfort Angel, if he had indeed gone after her. Maybe he cared about her as much as she did him.

Angel sniffed, moving slightly so that she was sitting under the beech tree near the lake. Its bare branches blew in the wind as she drew her knees up to her chest, putting her arms around them as she stared at the lake, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Angel?" A voice near her asked quietly. Startled, Angel turned quickly to see Sirius standing there, leaning against the beech tree, right behind her. His arms had been crossed across his chest, but he let them fall, kneeling down next to her. "What's wrong?"

Angel shook her head quickly, turning away from him. "I—it's nothing, Sirius," she mumbled, wiping the tears nonchalantly from her face. She didn't want him to know that she had been crying.

Sirius reached out and grasped her hands lightly, pulling her to her feet as he stood back up. "It surely looked like it was _something_. You can tell me, Angel, it's alright."

Sighing slightly, she stared up into his unblinking, grey eyes. His hands were still holding onto hers, and she wasn't sure if it was to keep her from running away, or something else. She finally blinked, dropping her gaze. "It—it's m—my grandmother, Sirius," she muttered quietly, feeling tears stinging her eyes again.

Giving a small cringe, Sirius closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Angel…" He didn't know what to say or do. He knew she had no one left in her life now, except for her murderous father, and her friends. He sighed, taking one of his hands from hers and resting it on her cheek tenderly, hoping he could take her pain away.

Angel looked up at him, her eyes shining with agony and unshed tears. "Sirius…," she mumbled. The heartache was too great. She had nothing to do anymore, and she had no one. She was lost, and times were hard enough.

Sirius pulled her into a friendly hug, wishing he could help her. He wanted to take her pain away, for her to forget it all. "It's going to get better, Angel, I promise."

James sighed, gazing over at Lily as they walked through the corridor towards the seventh floor and the Gryffindor tower. Remus and Peter had gone off to the library for a couple of books to study over the holidays. He put an arm around Lily's shoulders, pulling her close. He winced, realizing what he had done, and expected her to pull away. When she didn't, he looked down at her. "Lily?"

Lily's mind was spinning, and she glanced up at James, managing a small smile. "Sorry, James, I've just had too much on my mind lately." She moved closer to him, not minding his embrace. "I like you a lot," she murmured, closing her eyes as they walked.

Hearing her words, James froze, looking down at her. "You do?" he asked incredulously. He hadn't expected that. After the fights that they had gotten into, and as much as she had yelled and screamed at him, he couldn't believe this. Lily Evans liked James Potter?!

Blushing, Lily slowly nodded her head, gazing up at him. "Yes, I guess I do, James." She hadn't admitted to anyone yet, except for telling Angel.

James blinked, and then cracked out a broad grin. "Wow… I hadn't expected that, especially after all of these years of you yelling at me."

"Well, it's true," she said quietly. It was. Her feelings had taken a turn this year.

Grinning, he told the Fat Lady the password, and then walked into the common room with her. Things sure seemed to have brightened.

Sirius stood with her, curling close for comfort. He looked distressed — but also determined. And when Angel sighed again and sank against him, Sirius' voice softened. "Don't worry, Ang. You know I'll be there."

Angel just stood there in his embrace, closing her eyes slowly. "I know."

Pulling away slowly, he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Everything will get better. Don't worry…"

She gazed up at him, feeling a sudden pang in her heart. She loved him, she really did. However, he probably didn't feel the same way; he had had many girlfriends before, and she hadn't had a single relationship before. "Thanks for everything, Sirius. I appreciate your help. It's made me feel a little better."

Sirius's hand lifted from Angel's shoulder and touched her hair in a long, gentle stroke. "That, my lovely Angelina," Sirius murmured, "was the whole idea."

The entire mood of things had just changed, all with that gesture. Angel's head tilted slightly under his touch, and the pleasure was evident...

Sirius tipped his head forward as Angel slipped her arms around his neck, uncertainly at first. There was a moment, just barely, of hesitant, searching silence. Then Sirius seemed to take Angel's gentle tug closer as permission. They pressed forward, until their lips met — first gently, then warmly.

Angel's eyes fluttered closed, as she pressed her body against his. She couldn't believe this. The boy that she had liked since first year was kissing her!

After a few moments, Sirius pulled out of the kiss, gazing down at her. "Wow…" he muttered, grinning down at her.

Angel gulped, nodding slowly, unable to think straight after that. "Maybe we should head back to the castle," she murmured, seeing that the sky was steadily growing darker as it got later.

Nodding slowly, Sirius put his arm around her shoulders, leading her back to the castle.

Lily and James were sitting on the couch in front of the fire. He was holding her close, not saying much at all. Words weren't need now. Lily's head was resting against his shoulder gently, her eyes closed. Her hands were entwined around his, squeezing them reassuringly.

Suddenly coming through the portrait hole were Angel and Sirius, his arm still around her shoulders. Upon seeing James and Lily, he dropped his arm quickly to his side, striding into the room. "Prongs!"

James suddenly scooted away from Lily quickly, acting as if nothing had happened. He grinned at Sirius, standing up. "Padfoot, you're back!" Seeing what had just happened, they both burst out laughing.

Angel grinned sheepishly, going over and standing behind the couch, leaning against it. She glanced at Lily. "It looks like I'm not the only one that something happened to…"

Lily smirked, shaking her head slowly. "Are you alright now?"

Angel nodded slowly, sighing slightly as the boys walked over, sitting in a corner of the room. "Yeah… my grandmother is gone, though," she muttered, staring into the fire.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ang," Lily said, gazing over the back of the couch at her friend.

Smirking, Angel looked down at her. "Eh, it's alright. As you've seen," she murmured, nodding her head towards Sirius and James.

Nodding slowly, Lily sighed. "Yeah, I know. As you saw me and James…" She left it hanging, knowing that she didn't have to go any further.

"So you told him?" Angel asked, going around and sitting next to her.

Lily merely nodded, gazing over at her. "What about you?"

"Well… I was out there, and he hugged me to try to calm me down, to get me to stop crying. Then we just… _kissed_. I was surprised, but it was great," Angel muttered, a dazed look coming over her face.

Lily giggled, pushing her friend's shoulder lightly. "O-o-oh, Angel's got a _crush_," she said in a singsong voice.

"And so does Lily!" Angel mimicked, grinning.

Sirius glanced over at the girls, arching an eyebrow. He looked back at James, shaking his head slowly. "So… about you and Lily…?"

James sighed, giving him a look. "I told you. She told me on our way here that _she_ liked _me_." He paused, gazing over at the redheaded girl before he asked, "What about you and Angel?"

"It's nothing, James. You should know that." Sirius sighed slightly, looking away from him. "I can't like her. Nothing could ever happen between us."

"Are you still stuck on Melanie? That was a mistake, Padfoot. She didn't really like you, no matter how much you loved her. This is different."

"Yeah, whatever," Sirius said gruffly, gazing into the fire.

James frowned, watching as the girls left for their dormitory. "Yeah, well, you never know, Padfoot." He then added, "And how do you know nothing could ever happen? And is it you _can't_ like her, or you don't want to?"

Sirius sighed, looking thoughtful. "I do like her, James. A lot. I just don't want a repeat after what happened last time. I really, really like Angel, and I have for a long time…"

"Then things will be different, alright? Just trust me, Sirius," James muttered, watching his friend as he stared into the fire.

A/N: This is my first actual published fan fiction. Let me know what you think, and I will try to update when I get a chance. I promise that you'll see more of the Marauders and the Slytherins (joy…) in future chapters, but I had to set up the basis for this one.


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